Tough decisions await Hackney

President Sheldon Hackney has some tough choices to make. On the financial side of the University, he has to make a decision on a new executive vice president to permanently fill the five-month old administrative void left by Marna Whittington's departure in September. And Hackney also must choose staff members to serve on a search committee to find a new provost to succeed Provost Michael Aiken, who will leave the University in June to assume the chancellorship of the University of Illinois at Urbana--Champaign. Linda Hyatt, acting executive director of the president's office, said this week that the choice for executive vice president is "in the president's hands at the moment." She said the search committee has already made its recommendations to Hackney and said he is considering fewer than six candidates. "We are moving into the last stages [of the search]," Hyatt said Tuesday. "[The president is] talking to a lot of people about the candidates." She said none of the candidates the president is currently considering are from within the University, but said this is "in no way a reflection" of the caliber of the University's staff. Allen Orsi, chairperson of the Graduate and Professional Student Association and one of two students who met with candidates, said he and Undergraduate Assembly Chairperson Jeff Lichtman have interviewed three candidates. He said he thinks he will meet with other candidates, but said he has not received any information from the president's office recently. Orsi said he has prepared comments about the candidates he interviewed but has not yet given them to the president. On the academic side of the University, Hackney last week instructed the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to submit to him a list of six faculty members to serve as members of the provost search committee. Faculty Senate Chairperson David Hildebrand said yesterday that names have already been voted on and forwarded to the president. Hackney said last week that he hopes a new provost will be named by July 1 -- the date Aiken assumes his Illinois post. Hildebrand said he cannot disclose the names submitted by the SEC until the president names his six people to the committee and the UA and GASPA choose the student representatives. Hildebrand said the committee is "the president's baby" and said he does not know when the committee will begin its search. Orsi said last night that GAPSA will probably pick its representative by the end of the month. Kirsten Bartok, UA vice chairperson, said Lichtman plans to give the president the names of undergraduates tomorrow. She said she thinks Lichtman is considering serving on the committee with another undergraduate student government leader. Hildebrand said Wednesday that, even though the provost search will consider candidates outside the University, chances are that a member of the University's current staff will be named. Hackney could not be reached for comment last night.